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Profilometers measure surface roughness and come in two types: contact and non-contact. Contact profilometers use a diamond-tipped stylus to record wave patterns, while non-contact ones use beams of light. They are commonly used to measure road roughness and help determine if repairs are needed.
A profilometer is a device used to measure the roughness of a surface. There are two classes of profilometers: contact and non-contact. Most of these devices measure the vertical difference between the high point and low point of a surface in nanometers. This precise measurement easily illustrates the difference in objects that look or feel the same without direct measurement. While a profilometer is common in many fields, one of their primary uses is to measure the roughness of road surfaces.
A contact profilometer uses technology very similar to that of a record player. A diamond-tipped stylus is swept over a sample of a material. The stylus records the thickets as a wave pattern and sends the information to a computer. This computer can use the wave to directly shape the surface as the stylus moves. At the end of the process, the system will have an accurate model of each measured position.
These were the first types of profilometers and are still very common. They have many advantages over non-contact instruments, but are limited to use on samples. They are generally difficult to use in the field as the surface under examination must fit under the reading needle.
A non-contact profilometer uses beams of light to read a surface. Just like the common rangefinder, they fire a beam and measure the time it takes to get back. This offers two main advantages to this type of profilometer over the contact version. First, it works easily in the field, as it can simply sit on a surface and experiences almost no wear and tear as none of its parts touch anything.
This type of profilometer has one major drawback. Because it sends data to the central system via digital code, the surface modeling for the area must be translated into human-usable data. This requires an extra step that the contact version does not need and can significantly increase modeling time.
One area where profilometers are very common is measuring the roughness of a road. When used for this purpose, the profilometer, along with several other measuring tools, connects to a moving test system. These systems can be anything from a standard car to a specialized cart that simply moves tools. Because these profilometers are used in the field at a distance, they are always non-contact devices.
The objective of these road tests is to find the roughness of a section of road. The results will help determine if a road needs repair or resurfacing. It also helps determine information for tires and drive systems, ensuring a car is delivering maximum power and grip under a variety of road conditions.
